The other day, Costa Rica celebrated the International Day of Forests with activities to raise awareness and share and establish adaptation measures to benefit the conservation of this habitat.
The regional program Scaling Up Ecosystem-based Adaptation Measures in Rural Latin America (EbA LAC) organized a workshop with the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) and the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) in Zarcero.
“Increasing deforestation poses serious threats to sustainable development, mainly affecting rural women and highly vulnerable populations. Restoring forests and establishing EbA measures represents a crucial strategy to improve the livelihoods of millions of people and protect animals, plants, and insects that harbor in the forest layers,” said Rafael Gutierrez, Minister a.i. of Environment and Energy.
According to the United Nations (UN), around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for subsistence. However, as the climate change crisis increases, different ecosystem services provided by forests have been compromised, affecting water availability, the supply of natural resources, biodiversity conservation, and the provision of cultural, aesthetic, and recreational services.
The EbA LAC program aims to increase the climate resilience of vulnerable communities and ecosystems in rural areas of Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Ecuador through proven, innovative, and cost-effective approaches, including watershed committees and biological corridors.
“On this day, the German Development Cooperation Agency urges everyone to take action in their homes, workplaces, and communities to ensure the conservation of forests so that new generations can enjoy a greener and healthier future,” said Eva Axthelm, technical advisor of the EbA LAC program on behalf of the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ).
The EbA LAC program is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and is implemented by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) as the lead agency, in partnership with IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center).
Currently, it’s being carried out in Ecuador, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, it is executed in close coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) and the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC).
